By Phil Noble and Giselda Vagnoni
REGGIO EMILIA, May 13 (Reuters) – Italy offered a warm welcome to Britain’s Princess of Wales on Wednesday as she visited Reggio Emilia, renowned for its approach to early childhood education, on her first official overseas trip since undergoing cancer treatment.
Kate, the wife of heir-to-the-throne Prince William, was starting a two-day visit to the northern Italian city, as part of her work focusing on childhood development, a central theme of her public work.
“Undoubtedly this is a huge moment for the princess. There will be many highlights of 2026, but this being her first official international visit post her recovery, this is a really significant moment for her,” said an aide to the princess.
Hundreds of people gathered in the city’s main square, framed by medieval and Renaissance buildings, and in nearby streets to greet Kate on her arrival. Some waved Union Jacks, others held a banner reading “Ciao Kate”, while a few sported formal English-style hats. Kate wore a blue trouser suit.
Capturing the excitement in the local community, municipal official Francesca Severini joked: “I’ve got a terrible cold, but I’ll wait until the end of the visit to find out whether it’s pneumonia.”
The visit will centre on the “Reggio Emilia approach,” which places relationships, the environment and community at the heart of a child’s development.
In her meetings with administrators, teachers, parents and children, Kate will focus on the historical roots of Reggio Emilia’s schools, their public character, the central role played by women, the connection between nature and learning, and the close involvement of the local community, officials said.
“PRINCESS’S VISIT RECOGNISES OUR ACHIEVEMENTS”
After World War Two, residents of Reggio Emilia — many of them women — helped finance some of Italy’s first nursery schools by selling scrap metal from military equipment abandoned by retreating German forces. Pioneering schools for children under six took shape there decades before national legislation governing nurseries was adopted in 1968.
Kate is expected to visit two public pre-schools, where classrooms are organised around open communal spaces known as “piazzas”, with in‑house kitchens and ateliers that encourage children to experiment with materials, colours and sounds.
The Princess of Wales will be joined by key figures who helped develop the Reggio Emilia approach such as Ione Bartoli, 95, a former regional councillor in the 1970s.
“The princess’s visit is an honour and recognises what we in Reggio Emilia have achieved together for our children,” Bartoli told Reuters.
Kate will be awarded the Primo Tricolore, Reggio Emilia’s highest civic prize. It consists of a replica of Italy’s green, white and red national flag, first adopted in the city in 1797.
“It is only right that her first international trip since her illness is one that is focused on an issue that she is committed to championing for decades to come,” the princess’s aide said.
(Reporting by Phil Noble in Reggio Emilia and Giselda Vagnoni in Rome, additional reporting by Remo Casilli in Reggio EmiliaEditing by Keith Weir)
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